*today*

today we were early to pick up maeve from 

preschool

it was rainy and a little dreary so 

ezra and i 

waited in the car

it was boring.

so i reached back a finger to see if he would grab it

and he did

and he squeezed my finger tight and 

promptly

fell

asleep

it was the most beautiful little moment

my little sleeping angel

(there won't be many more months of spontaneous napping--these times are so sweet)

gripping my finger like a vise

and when i pried it away to go grab maeve

he wailed

and i thought

*he loves me*

it's so wonderful, that for a little while, 
to our children 
*we are the whole world*

remind me of this next time i am tired

and weary

exhausted

and 

*done*

these moments are sweet and fleeting and beautiful

did you have any beautiful moments today?

Because I'm Totally A Broken Record

I've been busy reminiscing about my childrens younger days since many of my family and friends have recently had, or will be having very soon, new little ones! 

Just a short year or so ago my little ones were indeed very little! (A newly *2* Maeve, a still *4* Amelie and a brand new little Ezra pictured below.)

This is the day I brought our Ezra-boy home from the hospital!

It was so nerve-wracking and stressful to realize I now had *three* little ones to take care of! And although it was hard at first--little by little we found our groove. 

I'm so thankful for my babies! All the work and worry and wondering slowly turned to happy and harmonious!

Really. So. Very. Thankful!

*************************************

James 1:17

¹⁷ Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Miscellaneous and Sundry Items

The days have been getting longer and "warmer" (relatively so, that is! hovering in the upper 40s lower 50s).

Guess what my eye spied?

My favorite sign of impending spring--Tulips!!!!

Thank you Mom for planting these--they are a joy to see poking out of the ground!

I heard the birds singing this week too--what a welcome sound!

In other news, I forced myself to sit and blog today because

a) my house is clean

b) the dishes and laundry are done and put away

c) and so are the toys

d) i've taken a nap and had a cup of coffee (with whipped cream) in peace

It's a March Miracle!

And to prove that the laundry is so rarely fully done--here is a picture of my children playing with empty laundry baskets.

They weren't sure what to do first, as the baskets are rarely empty and available for playtime, but they figured out how to make a cage.

I liked that game! =) Ha!

Cuties!

I had a little taste of freedom today--Maeve was at preschool for two hours this morning so Ezra and I tackled our long to do list. We got a TON done and he was a super cooperative and cheerful companion! 

It is so much easier to run errands when there is only one child to unbuckle/buckle/tote with you!

Even if they are well behaved, having 2 or 3 along slows things down a bit! It was great to accomplish so much in so little time--we even had a chance to come back home for some playtime before we had to pick Maeve back up!!

It was a nice little break, but honestly, I still have a hard time sending Maeve to preschool and love having her back home with me! These years with my babies are so precious--they have been mostly peaceful and very blessed.

Thank you God for my Family!

*********************************************

This is the first week we've had with Mr. Wonderful at home during the night since his opera production is over with--only thing is--he starts a new production with the same company on Thursday. It is such a wonderful opportunity but it is definitely going to continue to take me some time to adjust to *days that never end.*
Thankfully we have many dear friends who have been spending our night hours with us and it's been a wonderful respite!!

I am very thankful for my husband's new job and for professionals who appreciate him and his talent and enjoy working with him!

Oh! I almost forgot! His music team was accepted into the Finals for the International Competition of Acappella in NYC again this year! Yay! They totally deserve to be there and I can't wait to see how they do! 

***********************************************

Nothing else is new--I hear my Maeve is up from nap!

It's Sunday Night

And

I Wish

So Much

That It Were Friday Night

Instead.

Happy Weekend

Naps

Family Time

Naps

Cleaning

Eating

Outdoor-ing

Over Too Soon!

So Thankful For Peace, Love and Togetherness.

Even If Those Peaceful, Happy Days Fly By So Quickly!

Ah...

Remember Summer?

I'm trying to! I miss warmth so much!

It was actually quite a lovely day here today--60ish and sunny!

We straightened and organized the basement and raked and straightened the backyard--the kids played on the swing and on their bikes/scooters/etc.

And we all got some fresh air.

Woot.

My husband and I finished some painting projects (so many left to do though!) and

Granny and Pop stopped by for a bit.

Oh! And a new and handsome nephew was born last night!

*Alexander*

Isn't that wonderful!?

I haven't seen him yet and don't want to steal his picture for my blog so I'll post it when I get a chance to lay eyes and camera on him! =)

8 pounds 14 ounces

Ouch.

That's over a pound bigger than Ezra--I can't imagine!

That's it. =)

Nothing else very exciting--but honestly--a quiet day at home for my little family is my absolute favorite kind of day! I hope you had a happy Saturday!

Goodnight! =)

Wishful Thinking & Window(s) Shopping

Oh. My. Heart.

!!!

I love these swimsuits from Gymboree! I know it isn't summer-swim-season yet--but would you look at the ruffle suit WITH matching swim cap?

TDF!

The big girl swimsuits are cute too--although there really isn't any way for them to compete with that swim cap! Ha!

So Much Old

Yesterday was my birthday! 

I'm getting old. =)

Seriously.

I had a great day with my little ones and grabbed my favorite treats from Wegmans for lunch! For dinner my husband treated us to Cheesecake Factory so there was a lot of awesome food involved. =)

I spent the evening putting my feet up and reading through the big stack of magazines that came in the mail--all in all a lovely day!

Here's a cute picture (looks like a million years old) that my Aunt Theresa sent me of baby Shelly!

Notice the Hershey's chocolate box I'm holding in my hands--a sign of things to come! Ha! This picture makes me miss those old days playing at Grandma's house--Grandma's house is so awesome when you're a kid! That's it for now--I have to pry Maeve away from the awesome dollhouse we inherited today--it's not going to be pretty trying to get her up for nap!
Happy Friday!!

A Terrific Tuesday

It was so sunny and lovely out today--a bit chilly still but sun is so much happier than the rain we suffered through yesterday! (Although, I'll take rain over snow right now any day!).

We were lucky enough to be able to go to the children's museum with friends and even ran into some family there! =)

The kids had a great time and didn't fall asleep in the car on the way back which is always a huge victory!

During their nap I worked on putting together our bedroom again--we had it all torn apart so the new ceiling could be installed--I made good progress but am not done yet!

Not much else is new--my husband is home in the evening now which is awesome. I love having him here! It's my favorite!

Here's a few pictures of the kids from the last couple of days--this is what Ezra looks like with *clean* hair. =) He's channeling Alton Brown from the food network--proof below:

See? =)

Alton Brown in all of his crazy-hair-glory!

Less Crazy Hair =)

Maeve has been wearing the same winter hat for the last three days (even to bed and to nap!). 

She's a little different!

We still love her though! Ha!

I miss getting pictures of Amelie since she's gone all day! I'll have to make up for it this summer by taking twice as many pictures of her! Good night!

Rainy Monday Window(s) Shopping

I want this canvas print for my living room--isn't it pretty?

I ordered some new brown couch covers (not as nice as these pictured) with some ebay-sellings-money and am using this picture as my inspiration room.

I can't wait to paint our walls and molding downstairs! It's a big job but I love redecorating!

We've been lucky enough the past couple of weeks to enjoy many nights eating with friends and family (my parents) since my husband has been working out of town at night. It made all the difference in the world to have friends to spend time with--I'm so thankful for it! Now that my husband's long nights are over I think we ought to make dinner with friends a more regular part of our nights!

Here's a few pictures from Friday--the girls anxiously awaiting company:

the two handsomest pasta-faces ever!!

friends (and my husband who was arrived home early! yay!)

weird 3 year old games

cuties!

That's it for now! I can see from my perch at the computer that Ezra has fully realized his dream of being able to climb up on the couch by himself. 

Oy. 

Happy Monday!

Sunday Snippets and Pictures Of A Handsome Guy!

Another weekend.

Another whirlwind!!

My husband was gone all day Saturday playing for Brundibar.

(Also known in the Wonderful household as *the saddest opera ever* oy).

So it was kind of a long day--luckily Granny and Pop of the East helped me out with some child-shuttling!

Not much else is new aside from the fact that Ezra actually made it through nursery today.

Woot!!!

It's so nice to be able to sit through a whole church service--I forgot what it was like! =)

Happy Sunday!

Our week has flown (even faster than normal!)! Between having my parents here and having construction for a few exhausting days it has been a blur! 

My parents ended up leaving late last night to avoid a large snow storm that was predicted for their area! Boo! Luckily there was a special Disney show at my husband's school (put on by him and his music team) to entertain us this morning!

We saw lots of our friends there and the cute cousin met us there too! Maeve had a great time while I got in my exercise for the day chasing Ezra! =)

Maeve's been on a Sleeping Beauty kick lately--although, I don't think she's figured out yet that Mommy shuts it off halfway through and restarts it (hello scary ending!! =). I loved that movie when I was younger.

Anyways, that's it! I laid the kids down extra early for nap because we have to pick up Amelie from school this afternoon! Mr. Wonderful has a performance tonight and one tomorrow and one  every day next week. Eh. We're almost to the end of the our suffering without him though! =)

Happy Friday!

What's Goin' On

We've been having more construction on our house which is both a *YAY* and a *Eh*! =) 

It is so wonderful to be having great quality work done on things that you've been looking at and waiting to see *fixed* but also annoying to wrangle little ones in a construction zone! The kids have done great and Ezra is a pro at sleeping through hammering, banging, sawing etc. =)

My parents came to visit us on their way back from a short southern vacation! They got in yesterday and have been busy reading to and playing with the girls--they are so happy to have their Northern Grandparents here! 

(They are lucky kids with a bunch of wonderful grandparents! =). 

Anyways--this weekend Amelie lost her 5th tooth! It was all gross and loose--I was so happy I finally convinced her to let me get it out!  Love her!

Here's a picture of my Ezra guy who fell asleep in the exersaucer the other day--it was so sweet and funny! I couldn't believe how loud he was snoring! Love him!

And a picture of Maeve sitting with her Pop. Cuties! Love them!

So that's it! We're just busy wrangling little ones and dodging molding and sheet rock pieces and cleaning up odds and ends of projects. Can't wait till they are all done and things are peaceful and pretty! =) Mr. Wonderful is still busy working a lot of hours and so I'm extra thankful to have my parents here so that I'm not alone all the time! We're also going to celebrate my impending birthday--it'll be fun celebrating turning 25 again! =)

Happy Wednesday!

Mehonday

Happy President's Day! I used to *LOVE* President's Day/Week when I was in school in NY--they get a wholeeee week off to "celebrate!" 

Nothin's better than a week off in the middle of winter to recharge! Alas, in NJ we get a long weekend and my husband had to work 3/4 of it so Boo!

I *did* have my three babies home today so we went to the Children's museum and they completely exhausted me! Usually I only have two to chase there--chasing three was a new experience! Ha! We had fun though! I treated them to Happy Meals and tucked them in for naps and they slept like angels! Woot!

Our ceilings are still being worked on (we took down the drop ceilings and there is sheet rock being put up) so our upstairs is a complete disaster with all of our bedroom furniture and clothes split between the girls' and Ezra's rooms. Nightmare. Can't wait till it's over! Also, we're sleeping downstairs on the sofa since we are bed-less. Also not so much fun. =)

Anyways, I'm done complaining now!

It's supposed to snow tonight? I'm kind of ready for that to be over--so thankful that spring is on the way!

In other news--we had the kids' Valentine's Day pictures taken this weekend! It was a struggle to keep Ezra in the frame but we got a few cute ones! Yay!

That's it for now! I'm going to enjoy sitting with my husband since I haven't hardly seen him lately! 

Good night!

A Day Or Five Late

My Maevey-girl started pre-k this week and I totally forgot to write about it! My weeks have been so topsy turvy with my husband's new job I'm completely out of sorts! =)

Anyways, she started this Wednesday and really loves it! A local school has an awesome program for little ones that is *free* (woot), *fun* (double woot) and run by some pretty cool people! (triple woot!).

Maeve just marched right off into school like it was normal and waved me off--so much easier than when I dropped Amelie off a few years ago! Maeve very confidently walked away and that made it easier for me to leave and go cry in my car! =) I can't believe how much my little lamb is growing up! *tear* But yay for happy, new adventures!

My Handsome Guy!

My little Ezra guy was sick last weekend and missed out on the Valentine pictures I took of the girls so I made him do his own little photo shoot! I love this guy! I can't believe how big he is! Here's a few Ezra facts for you! =)

*he sleeps through the nights almost always but does occasionally get up at 5. dread.

*he goes to bed at 6:45 and takes his nap sometime around 1.

*he answers every question with, "Yeah!"

*he loves to dance and really enjoys listening to music!

*his favorite foods are chicken, bananas, apples and grapes!

*he is in. to. everything. ahhhhhhhh so much baby-chasing!

=)

Saturday Snippets (Too Tired For Anything Else!)

*so happy it's saturday! the first day in many days that my husband can just stay home!! yesterday was the beginning of president's weekend for us but he had to go out to Philly for his accompanist job--it was a super long afternoon because my house was full of people working on putting up our new bathroom and bedroom ceilings! yay!! 

also--longest. afternoon. stuck. home. ever. without. a. car. or. stroller. and. i. felt. lousy. gah. also. no. bathroom. doublegah. 

*also yesterday the kids gave me some devil bug and i was all weak and dizzy and weird feeling. i'm mostly back to normal today--aside from the weird sensation of completely plugged ears. oh well--i hear less crying this way! =)

*i had dreamed and hoped and planned that my counters were going to be done this weekend but that isn't the case. boo. hopefully soon (fingers crossed and knocking on wood!!)

*we took the kids to picture people to get their valentine pictures taken! better late than never! we got *one* good one--at least one is all you need! =)

i'll scan one later to post! =)

**that's it for now! it was a very very long week but we had lots of playdates with friends and that definitely helped! we are really looking forward to a few more playdates next week too! hopefully everyone stays healthy!!!

happy saturday!

The Days Are Blowing Away!

Has it been windy where you are?

So windy here the past few days--yesterday I had to go rescue our trashcans.

Urgh. Those ungrateful demons just blew away again after I saved them! 

So I had to save them again--behind a fence and they stayed put!

Yesterday was amazing and gorgeous--I jumped out of the van (we had to switch cars with my husbad--long story--so we didn't go anywhere just did a quick switcheroo) and threw the kids in the stroller for an impromptu stroll. It was gorgeous--the only problem was that I kept walking and realized that after I was far from home my boots were NOT made for walking. Gah. Limp limp shuffle all the way home. Next time I'm packing sneaks for a sunny day!

My Maeve was sick yesterday--fever, sad, tired, terrible.

Today she woke up perky and happy and normal and healed--I love it when that happens! But yesterday--I had to prop her up the in stroller as we strolled--it was sad. 

We laid low again today--Ezra had a well check--which he was mostly well for (just a little residual asthma from his cold which has passed). I'm so thankful my husband works so close and E's appt. was during his free period--the littles were giving me a run for my money at the doctors office! They kept us waiting soooooo long (45 minutes) and Ezra was NOT happy. Thank goodness he loves to be held by Daddy!!!

The Ezra Boy Update:

31 inches tall (I'll have to doublecheck--that seems too big now)

22 pounds 12 ounces

Cuteness: fully intact and growing exponentially

Anywho, my husband is still working his extra hours and I'm a big whiny baby. The extra time hasn't killed me yet--luckily it's just one more week. Yay!! And we have some playdates to look forward to so I'm sure it will fly!

Here's another V-day picture of the girls!

I love my Ezra boy too but he was so sick this weekend I didn't take any pictures of him! They get their official pictures this weekend and then I'll take my guy out for some cuteness documentation! =)

Happy Tuesday night!

I sure am looking forward to Friday--it's supposed to be 60!!!!

Because I Couldn't Pick Just One Valentine: Part Three! Amelie!!

Because I Couldn't Pick Just One: Maeve Edition